Electronic vaping device having pressure sensor

ABSTRACT

At least one example embodiment discloses a section of an electronic-vaping device including a pressure sensor configured to measure a current ambient pressure, the pressure sensor further configured to output the current ambient pressure measurement in accordance with a read request frequency, and a controller configured to determine a mode of operation of the electronic-vaping device, control the read request frequency based on the determined mode of operation, and detect a threshold pressure change based on the current ambient pressure and a baseline pressure.

PRIORITY

This non-provisional patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.§ 119(e) to provisional U.S. application No. 62/184,632 filed on Jun.25, 2015, 62/184,647 filed on Jun. 25, 2015, 62/184,569 filed on Jun.25, 2015 and 62/184,778 filed on Jun. 25, 2015, all in the United StatesPatent and Trademark Office, the entire contents of each of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Field

At least some example embodiments relate generally to an electronicvaping (e-vaping) device.

Related Art

Electronic vaping devices are used to vaporize a pre-vapor formulationinto a vapor. These electronic vaping devices may be referred to ase-vaping devices. E-vaping devices include a heater, which vaporizes thepre-vapor formulation to produce the vapor. The e-vaping device mayinclude several e-vaping elements including a power source, a cartridgeor e-vaping tank including the heater and a reservoir capable of holdingthe pre-vapor formulation.

SUMMARY

At least some example embodiments relate to an e-vaping device.

At least one example embodiment discloses a section of anelectronic-vaping device including a pressure sensor configured tomeasure a current ambient pressure, the pressure sensor furtherconfigured to output the current ambient pressure measurement inaccordance with a read request frequency and a controller configured todetermine a mode of operation of the electronic-vaping device, controlthe read request frequency based on the determined mode of operation,and detect a threshold pressure change based on the current ambientpressure and a baseline pressure.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to control theread request frequency such that the read request frequency has a firstfrequency in a first mode of operation and a second frequency in asecond mode of operation, the first frequency being different than thesecond frequency and the first and second frequencies being greater thanzero.

In an example embodiment, the first frequency is higher than the secondfrequency, the first mode of operation is an active mode and the secondmode of operation is associated with reduced power consumption relativeto the active mode.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to determine thebaseline pressure based on previous ambient pressure measurements.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to determine anaverage of the previous ambient pressure measurements, the average ofthe previous ambient pressure measurements being the baseline pressure.

In an example embodiment, the previous ambient pressure measurements arereceived by the controller within a threshold time period.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to ignoreprevious ambient pressure measurements received within a threshold timeperiod upon detecting the threshold pressure change.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to control theelectronic-vaping device in a reduced power state if the pressure sensormeasures a positive pressure as the current ambient pressure.

In an example embodiment, the pressure sensor is amicroelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensor.

At least one example embodiment discloses an electronic-vaping deviceincluding a cartridge including a heating element and a power supplysection, the power supply section and the cartridge being configured toconnect, the power supply section including a pressure sensor configuredto measure a current ambient pressure and further configured to outputthe current ambient pressure measurement in accordance with a readrequest frequency, and a controller configured to determine a mode ofoperation of the electronic-vaping device, control the read requestfrequency based on the determined mode of operation, and detect athreshold pressure change based on the current ambient pressure and abaseline pressure.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to control theread request frequency such that the read request frequency has a firstfrequency in a first mode of operation and a second frequency in asecond mode of operation, the first frequency being different than thesecond frequency and the first and second frequencies being greater thanzero.

In an example embodiment, the first frequency is higher than the secondfrequency, the first mode of operation is an active mode and the secondmode of operation is associated with reduced power consumption relativeto the active mode.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to determine thebaseline pressure based on previous ambient pressure measurements.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to determine anaverage of the previous ambient pressure measurements, the average ofthe previous ambient pressure measurements being the baseline pressure.

In an example embodiment, the previous ambient pressure measurements arereceived by the controller within a threshold time period.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to ignoreprevious ambient pressure measurements received within a threshold timeperiod upon detecting the threshold pressure change.

In an example embodiment, the controller is configured to control theelectronic-vaping device in a reduced power state if the pressure sensormeasures a positive pressure as the current ambient pressure.

In an example embodiment, the pressure sensor is amicroelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensor.

At least one example embodiment discloses a method of detecting athreshold pressure change within an electronic vaping device. The methodincludes determining a mode of operation of the electronic vapingdevice, determining a read request frequency based on the mode ofoperation, receiving a current pressure measurement based on the readrequest frequency and determining a threshold pressure change of theelectronic vaping device based on the current pressure measurement and abaseline pressure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of example embodiments willbecome more apparent by describing, example embodiments in detail withreference to the attached drawings. The accompanying drawings areintended to depict example embodiments and should not be interpreted tolimit the intended scope of the claims. The accompanying drawings arenot to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted.

FIG. 1 illustrates an electronic vaping device including a reusablesection according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a semi-transparent view of an example embodiment ofthe reusable section shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example embodiment ofthe reusable section shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example embodiment ofthe cartridge section shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3C illustrates a close-up cross-sectional view of an exampleembodiment of the cartridge section within the dashed lines of FIG. 3B;

FIG. 3D illustrates a cross sectional view of a connection area betweenthe cartridge section and the reusable section in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of an example embodiment of thereusable section shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5A illustrates an example embodiment of a circuit board of theelectronic vaping device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5B illustrates a more detailed view of a connection between amicroprocessor and a MEMS pressure sensor of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of detecting a threshold pressure changeaccording to an example embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a heatercontrol circuit;

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of controlling power delivery to a heatingelement or heater;

FIG. 9 illustrates the initialization process of FIG. 8 according to anexample embodiment;

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow chart of the closed loop power controlprocess in FIG. 8 according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart for mitigating against over-heating theheating element;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example embodiment of the heater control circuitand microprocessor shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of operating themicroprocessor shown in FIGS. 5A and 12;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of operating thecontroller shown in FIG. 5A;

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustrating a coupling of the second sectionshown in FIGS. 1-4 and a charger, according to one example embodiment;

FIG. 16 illustrates a charge control circuit of FIG. 5A, according toone example embodiment;

FIG. 17 illustrates a block diagram of elements on the charger shown inFIG. 15, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 18 illustrates the power control circuit of FIG. 17, according toone example embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart describing the process of authenticating thecharger and the electronic vaping device, according to one exampleembodiment; and

FIG. 20 is a flowchart describing the process of authenticating thecharger and the electronic vaping device, according to one exampleembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some detailed example embodiments are disclosed herein. However,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merelyrepresentative for purposes of describing example embodiments. Exampleembodiments may, however, be embodied in many alternate forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein.

Accordingly, while example embodiments are capable of variousmodifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof are shown byway of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail.It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limitexample embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but to thecontrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of exampleembodiments. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout thedescription of the figures.

It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on,” “connected to,” “coupled to,” or “covering” another elementor layer, it may be directly on, connected to, coupled to, or coveringthe other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyon,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another elementor layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout the specification. As usedherein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one ormore of the associated listed items.

It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, third,etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, regions, layersand/or sections, these elements, regions, layers, and/or sections shouldnot be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguishone element, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, orsection. Thus, a first element, region, layer, or section discussedbelow could be termed a second element, region, lave or section withoutdeparting from the teachings of example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms (e.g., “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” and the like) may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It should be understood thatthe spatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the term “below” may encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing variousembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exampleembodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used inthis specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,steps, operations and/or elements, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements and groups thereof.

Example embodiments are described herein with reference tocross-sectional illustrations that are schematic illustrations ofidealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) of exampleembodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations asa result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances,are to be expected. Thus, example embodiments should not be construed aslimited to the shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to includedeviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. Thus,the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and theirshapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of a region of adevice and are not intended to limit the scope of example embodiments.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. Itwill be further understood that terms, including those defined incommonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaningthat is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant artand will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal senseunless expressly so defined herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electronic vaping (e-vaping) device 10 includesa replaceable cartridge (or first section) 50, a reusable section (orsecond section) 100 and light indicators 105.

The light indicators 105 may be controlled by a controller and indicatea status of the e-vaping device 10. The light indicators 105 may bethree light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that are used in various sequences toillustrate at least the following states of the e-vaping device 10:Cartridge Detected, Battery Removed From Charger, Negative PressureApplied, Battery Level, Disabled Mode, Enabled Mode, Cartridge Error andBattery Error.

The first section 50 and the second section 100 may be coupled togetherat a connection using a connector. The connector may include a maleconnecting portion and a female connecting portion. The male connectingportion may be secured to one of the first section 50 and the secondsection 100. The male connecting portion may include a pair of matingarms extending from a rim of the male connecting portion. The pair ofmating arms and the rim may define a pair of angled slots therebetween.A terminus of each of the pair of angled slots includes an enlargedsocket end. The female connecting portion is secured to the other of thefirst section 50 and the second section 100. For example, when the maleconnecting portion is secured to the first section 50, the femaleconnecting portion is secured to the second section 100 (and viceversa). The female connecting portion may include an inner surface and apair of lugs on the inner surface. The female connecting portion isconfigured to longitudinally and rotationally receive the pair of matingarms of the male connecting portion so as to engage each of the pair oflugs of the female connecting portion within the enlarged socket end ofeach of the pair of angled slots of the male connecting portion toelectrically couple the first section 50 and the second section 100.

The second section 100 may also include a pressure sensor to monitor apressure within the second section 100, a power supply and a controllerconfigured to control and interpret data from the pressure sensor.

The first section 50 may include a vaporizer assembly configured to heata pre-vapor formulation to generate a vapor. A pre-vapor formulation isa material or combination of materials that may be transformed into avapor. For example, the pre-vapor formulation may be a liquid, solid,and/or gel formulation including, but not limited to, water, beads,solvents, active ingredients, ethanol, plant extracts, natural orartificial flavors, and/or vapor formers such as glycerine and propyleneglycol. The battery assembly is configured to power the vaporizerassembly.

FIG. 2 illustrates a semi-transparent view of the second section 100. Asshown in FIG. 2, the second section 100 includes a female connectingportion 106, a housing 108, a power supply 110, a light pipe assembly112, a printed circuit board (PCB) 116, an end cap 118, a positivecontact 120 and a common contact 122. The light pipe assembly 112includes a light article (e.g., light pipe) 114 which holds the lightingindicators.

A female connecting portion 106 is disposed at a proximal end of thehousing 108, while the end cap 118, the first contact 120 (e.g.,positive contact), and the second contact 122 (e.g., common contact) aredisposed at an opposing, distal end of the housing 108. The secondsection 100 has a proximal end (adjacent to the female connectingportion 106) with a cylindrical shape that transitions into a triangularform at the opposing, distal end (adjacent to the second contact 122).For instance, the opposing, distal end may have a cross-sectional shapethat resembles a Reuleaux triangle. A Reuleaux triangle is a shapeformed from the intersection of three circles, each having its center onthe boundary of the other two. The second section 100 may also have aslanted end face (relative to the longitudinal axis of the secondsection 100). However, it should be understood that example embodimentsmay have other configurations and are not limited to the above forms.

The female connecting portion 106 provides a connection to the firstsection 50. The female connecting portion 106 is made of a conductivematerial to provide an electrical connection between the second section100 and the first section 50. For example, the female connecting portion106 may have a base made of brass that is plated with nickel and thentop plated with silver.

More specifically, upon completing the connection, the power supply 110is electrically connected with a heater element of the first section 50upon sensing negative pressure applied by an adult vaper by a pressuresensor. Air is drawn primarily into the first section 50 through one ormore air inlets (see, e.g., FIG. 3B). Example embodiments are notlimited to e-vaping devices using a pressure sensor to activate thevaping. Rather, example embodiments are also applicable to e-vapingdevices that use another means for activation, such as a push button ora capacitive button.

The power supply 110 may be operably connected to the heater (asdescribed below) to apply a voltage across the heater. The e-vapingdevice 10 also includes at least one air inlet operable to deliver airto a central air passage of the first section 50.

Furthermore, the power supply 110 supplies power to a controller on thePCB 116, as will be described in greater detail below.

The power supply 110 may be a Lithium-ion battery or one of itsvariants, for example a Lithium-ion polymer battery. Alternatively, thepower supply 110 may be a Nickel-metal hydride battery, a Nickel cadmiumbattery, a Lithium-manganese battery, a Lithium-cobalt battery or a fuelcell. In that case, the e-vaping device 10 is usable until the energy inthe power supply 110 is depleted or below a set threshold. The powersupply 110 may be rechargeable and the PCB 116 includes circuitryallowing the battery to be chargeable by an external charging device.

FIG. 3A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the second section 100.Referring to FIG. 3A, the second section 100 may increase in size fromthe proximal end (adjacent to the female connecting portion 106) to theopposing, distal end (adjacent to the second contact 122). The anodeportion 102 and a female insulating member 104 may be disposed withinthe female connecting portion 106. The female insulating member 104 maybe an annular structure, with the anode portion 102 extendingtherethrough. For instance, the anode portion 102 may be arrangedconcentrically within the female connecting portion 106 while beingelectrically isolated therefrom via the female insulating member 104.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the power supply 110 may include a battery arrangedin the e-vaping device 10 such that a cathode 110 a of the power supply110 may be downstream of an anode 110 b of the power supply 110. Thecathode 110 a is connected to the PCB 116 by a wire 129 a. The PCB 116is then connected to the cathode portion 106 a by a wire 129 b. An anodeportion 102 of the female connecting portion 106 may be connected to theanode 110 b through a wire 128. More specifically, the anode 110 b isconnected to the circuitry of the PCB 116 by a wire 126. The circuitryon the PCB 116 acts as a switch to connect the anode 110 b of the powersupply 110 to the anode portion 102 of the female connecting portion106, and the cathode 110 a of the power supply 110 to the cathodeportion 106 a. When the PCB circuitry enables the switch, current isallowed to flow though this circuitry if the anode portion 102 isconnected to an acceptable circuit (e.g., the first section 50).

It should be understood that the locations of the cathode portion 106 aand the anode portion 102 may be switched within the female connectingportion 106.

FIG. 3B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example embodiment ofthe first section 50 shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 3B, the firstsection (or cartridge section) 50 includes a housing 202 with a proximalend and an opposing, distal end. The housing 202 may be formed of metal(e.g., stainless steel), although other suitable materials may be used.A mouthpiece 204 and a sealing ring 212 are disposed at the proximal endof the housing 202, while a male connecting portion 206 (e.g., vaporizerconnector) is disposed at the opposing, distal end of the housing 202. Amale anode 208 (e.g., post) and a male insulating member 210 (e.g.,gasket ring) may be disposed within the male connecting portion 206. Themale insulating member 210 may be an annular structure, with the maleanode 208 extending therethrough. For instance, the male anode 208 maybe arranged concentrically within the male connecting portion 206 whilebeing electrically isolated therefrom via the male insulating member210. The male insulating member 210 and the sealing ring 212 may beformed of silicone. The first section 50 may include one or more airinlets 215 through which air may be drawn and the pressure sensor maymeasure the air pressure resulting from the air drawn through the one ormore air inlets 215.

The male connecting portion 206 of the first section 50 may, uponattachment of the first section 50 and the second section 100,electrically connect to cathode portion 106 a of the second section 100.The first section 50 and the second section 100 may be attached byengaging the female connecting portion 106 of the second section 100with the male connecting portion 206 of the first section 50. The firstsection 50 may include a vaporizer 250. The vaporizer 250 may include aheating element (or heater) for vaporizing the pre-vapor formulation.

From the above description of FIGS. 3A and 38, it should be understoodthat the first section 50 and the second section 100 may be coupledtogether at a connection using a connector. The connector may includethe male connecting portion 206 and the female connecting portion 106.According to example embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A and 38, the maleconnecting portion 206 may be secured to the first section 50 while thefemale connecting portion 106 may be secured to the second section 100.The male connecting portion 206 may include a pair of mating armsextending from a rim of the male connecting portion. The pair of matingarms and the rim may define a pair of angled slots therebetween. Aterminus of each of the pair of angled slots includes an enlarged socketend. The female connecting portion 106 is secured to the first section50. For example, when the male connecting portion 206 is secured to thesecond section 100, the female connecting portion 106 is secured to thefirst section 50 (and vice versa). The female connecting portion 106 mayinclude an inner surface and a pair of lugs on the inner surface. Thefemale connecting portion 106 is configured to longitudinally androtationally receive the pair of mating arms of the male connectingportion 206 so as to engage each of the pair of lugs of the femaleconnecting portion 106 within the enlarged socket end of each of thepair of angled slots of the male connecting portion 206 to electricallycouple the first section 50 and the second section 100.

FIG. 3C illustrates a close-up cross-sectional view of an exampleembodiment of the cartridge section shown in FIG. 3B within the dashedline. As shown in FIG. 3C, a heater 252 of the vaporizer 250 may beelectrically connected to a body 220 of the male connecting portion 206and the male anode 208 at connection points 255 and 260, respectively.

With reference to FIGS. 3B and 3C, the housing 202 may include areservoir 290 with porous materials 270 and 280. The reservoir 290 andthe porous materials 270 and 280 may contain the pre-vapor formulation.A density of the porous material 270 may be greater than a density ofthe porous material 280. The housing 202 may include the vaporizer 250.The vaporizer 250 may include a porous element 251 in fluidcommunication with the pre-vapor formulation contained within thereservoir 290. The vaporizer 250 may include the heating element (orheater) 252 for vaporizing the pre-vapor formulation contained in theporous element 251. A portion of the heater 252 may be coiled around theporous element 251 while two electrical leads of the heater 252 extendto connection points 255 and 260, respectively. The housing 202 mayinclude an inner tube 265 defining central air channel 275 to allow forair flow between air outlets 295 of the mouth piece 204 and the airinlets 215. The vaporizer 250 may be arranged in the air channel 275such that vapor generated by the vaporizer may flow toward themouthpiece 204.

FIG. 3D illustrates a cross sectional view of a connection area betweenthe first section and the second section in FIG. 1. FIG. 3D shows theelectrical connection between the male anode 208 and the anode portion(female anode) 102, and the electrical connection between the maleconnecting portion 206 and the cathode portion 106 a.

With reference to FIGS. 3A-3D, electrical connection between the anode110 b of the power supply 110 and the heater 252 in the first section 50may be established through the PCB 116, the anode portion (female anode)102 in the second section 100, the male anode 208 in the first section50, and a connection point 260 on the male anode 208 with a firstelectrical lead of the heater 252. Similarly, electrical connectionbetween the cathode 110 a of the power supply 110 and a secondelectrical lead of the heater 252 may be established through the PCB116, the cathode portion. 106 a of the connecting portion 106, the maleconnecting portion 206, and the connection point 255 of the secondelectrical lead to the body 220 of the male connecting portion 206. Theconnection points 255 and 260 may be achieved by, for example, spotwelding or soldering the two electrical leads of the heater 252.

Referring back to FIG. 3A, the housing 108 may be made of a plastic andplated with aluminum and coated with gunmetal pigment. The housing 108extends in a longitudinal direction and houses the power supply 110, thelight pipe assembly 112 and the PCB 116. The female connecting portion106 and the end cap 118 are provided at opposing ends of the housing108. The positive contact 120 and common contact 122 are attached to anexposed face of the end cap 118. Both the positive contact 120 and thecommon contact 122 may be coated with nickel and silver.

The light article 114 (e.g., light pipe) may be disposed in the distalend of the second section 100. The light article 114 contains lightindicators 105 a-105 c that are configured to emit a light that isvisible to an adult vapor based on the state of the e-vapor device. Inan example embodiment, the light indicators 105 a-105 c may emit a lightof a first color during vaping, a light of a second color when the powersupply 110 is running low, and/or a light of a third color when thepower supply 110 is being charged. In lieu of (or in addition to)colored lights, the light indicators 105 a-105 c may emit a flashinglight and/or a pattern of lights as a status indicator.

For example, the light indicators 105 a-105 c may be light-emittingdiodes (LEDs) that are used in various sequences to illustrate at leastthe following states: Cartridge Detected, Battery Removed From Charger,Negative Pressure Applied, Battery Level, Disabled Mode, Enabled Mode,Cartridge Error and Battery Error.

The positive contact 120 and the common contact 122 may be connected tothe PCB 116 by wires. The positive contact 120 and the common contact122 are connected to the PCB 116 in such a fashion as to permit acharger to communicate with the controller on the PCB 116 and supplypower to the power supply 110. More specifically, when the secondsection 100 is inserted into a charger, two prongs of the charger, thecommon contact and the positive contact form a closed circuit.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the second section 100. As shownin FIG. 4, the light pipe 114 may be fitted to be inserted incylindrical bores 112 a, 112 b and 112 c of the light pipe assembly 112.

FIG. 5A illustrates a block diagram of elements on the PCB 116,according to an example embodiment.

As shown, the PCB 116 may include a controller 500 and a batterymonitoring unit (BMU) 510. In some example embodiments, the PCB 116includes an external device input/output interface 530. The I/Ointerface 530 may be a Bluetooth interface, for example.

The controller 500 includes a microprocessor 502, a computer-readablestorage medium 505, a heater control circuit 515, a charge controlcircuit 520 and a pressure sensor 525.

The controller 500 performs features of the second section 100, as wellas the entire e-vaping device 10, such as controlling the heater,interfacing with an external charger and monitoring the pressure withinthe e-vaping device 10 to determine whether an adult vaper has applied anegative pressure. Moreover, the controller 500 may determine whether anadult vaper has applied a positive pressure for a threshold time. Insuch an instance, the controller 500 may place the e-vaping device 10 ina disabled and or hibernation mode (reduced power consumption and/orpreventing activation).

The controller 500 may be hardware, firmware, hardware executingsoftware or any combination thereof. When the controller 500 ishardware, such existing hardware may include one or more CentralProcessing Units (CPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs),application-specific-integrated-circuits (ASICs), field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs) computers or the like configured as special purposemachines to perform the functions of the controller 500.

In the event where the controller 500 is a processor executing software,the controller 500 is configured as a special purpose machine to executethe software, stored in the computer-readable storage medium 505, toperform the functions of the controller 500.

Furthermore, as shown in the example embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, thecontroller 500 may be a combination of hardware and a processorexecuting software. As shown, hardware elements may include thecomputer-readable storage medium 505, the heater control circuit 515,the charge control circuit 520 and the pressure sensor 525. As shown,the microprocessor 502 is configured to control the operation of thehardware elements described above by executing software stored on thecomputer-readable storage medium 505.

As disclosed herein, the term “computer-readable storage medium” or“non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” may represent one ormore devices for storing data, including read only memory (ROM), randomaccess memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storagemediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/or othertangible machine readable mediums storing information. The term“computer-readable storage medium” may include, but is not limited to,portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and variousother mediums capable of storing, containing or carrying instruction(s)and/or data.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the power supply 110 supplies a voltage VBA to theheater control circuit 515, the charge control circuit 520 and the lightarticle 114. Based on the voltage V_(BAT) and data from themicroprocessor 502 to the light article 114, the light article 114produces a light or series of lights indicating a status of the e-vapingdevice 10.

The heater control circuit 515 and the charge control circuit 520 arecontrolled by the microprocessor 502 and transmit/receive data to andfrom the microprocessor 502.

More specifically, the heater control circuit 515 is configured tocontrol a voltage supplied to the heater of the first section 50 basedon a pulse-width modulation signal and enable signal from themicroprocessor 502. For example, when the microprocessor 502 detectsthat the first section 50 and 100 are connected and an adult vaper hasapplied a negative pressure, the heater control circuit 515 isconfigured to supply a voltage to the heater and monitor a voltage ofthe across the heater and a current across the heater. The heatercontrol circuit 515 is configured to feedback the monitored voltage andcurrent across the heater. The microprocessor 502 is then configured toadjust the pulse-width modulation signal based on the feedback from theheater control circuit 515.

The charge control circuit 520 acts as an interface between an externalcharger and the second section 100. More specifically, upon connectingto the charger, the charger sends a series of voltage pulses to thecharge control circuit 520. The microprocessor 502 determines whetherthe series of voltage pulses is a correct series. If the series isdetermined by the microprocessor 502 to be correct, the microprocessor502 instructs the charge control circuit 520 to generate a respondingseries of voltages such that if the charger sees the correct response,the charger begins charging the power supply 110.

The BMU 510 monitors a voltage V_(BAT) generated by the power supply110. If the voltage V_(BAT) is within a set range, the BMU 510 suppliesthe voltage V_(BAT) to the microprocessor 502. If the voltage V_(BAT) isnot within the set range, the BMU 510 prevents power being supplied tothe microprocessor 502. For example, the BMU 510 does not allow thebattery to be discharged when below 2.5V and cannot be charged above4.3V.

The microprocessor 502 includes a voltage regulator to convert thevoltage V_(BAT) to another voltage V_(DD). The microprocessor 502supplies the voltage V_(DD) to the pressure sensor 525.

The pressure sensor 525 is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensorthat is a true pressure sensor. More specifically, the MEMS pressuresensor 525 does not compare a differential between an ambient andnon-ambient pressure. The microprocessor 502 uses the MEMS pressuresensor 525 to determine whether an adult vaper has applied a negativepressure on the e-vaping device 10. When the microprocessor 502 detectsan adult vaper applying a negative pressure, the microprocessor 502controls the heater control circuit 515 to begin a heating process forthe heater to create a vapor by vaporizing the pre-vapor formulation.

Some e-vaping devices use a differential pressure sensor. Differentialpressure sensors measure two air pressures, one ambient and one thatchanges. The differential pressure sensor is generally set on an end ofthe device and put into a gasket that seals one side of the sensor fromanother side of the sensor. When an adult vaper applies a negativepressure, the sealed side of the differential pressure sensor detects apressure drop (vacuum), while the ambient side detects less of a dropdue to the exposure by not being sealed. The differential pressuresensor then provides a differential signal.

By using a true MEMS pressure sensor 525, the microprocessor 502determines a negative pressure from an adult vaper faster because themicroprocessor 502 does not have to wait for a differential to bedetected. Moreover, the MEMS pressure sensor 525 occupies less spacethan a differential pressure sensor because the MEMS pressure sensor 525can be mounted directly on the PCB 116.

The MEMS pressure sensor 525 may be an MS5637-02BA03 Low VoltageBarometric Pressure Sensor, for example.

The MEMS pressure sensor 525 and the microprocessor 502 communicateusing an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) interface.

FIG. 5B illustrates a more detailed view of a connection between themicroprocessor 502 and the MEMS pressure sensor 525. The MEMS pressuresensor 525 can measure temperature and pressure within the e-vapingdevice 10. As shown, the MEMS pressure sensor 525 includes an I/O pin550 a for transmitting pressure and temperature data PT_(DATA) andreceiving read and write requests (R/W Command) and an input pin 550 bfor receiving a clock CLK from the microprocessor 502. Themicroprocessor 502 includes an I/O pin 555 a for receiving pressure andtemperature data PT_(DATA) and transmitting the read and write requests(R/W Command) to the MEMS pressure sensor 525 and an output pin 555 bfor transmitting the clock CLK.

Thus, the pressure and temperature data PT_(DATA) can include at leastone of a pressure measurement and a temperature measurement.

It should be understood that the MEMS pressure sensor 525 and themicroprocessor 502 include other pins/ports. Therefore, that the MEMSpressure sensor 525 and the microprocessor 502 are not limited to FIG.5B.

The MEMS pressure sensor 525 measures the ambient pressure in accordancewith a frequency of the clock CLK. The MEMS pressure sensor 525 sendsthe measured pressure to the microprocessor 502 in the pressure dataPT_(DATA) in accordance with a frequency of read requests (R/W Command).

The microprocessor 502 controls the frequency of read requests based ona determined operating mode of the e-vaping device 10. Thus, themicroprocessor 502 controls a sampling rate of the pressure from theMEMS pressure sensor 525 by controlling the frequency of read requests.

More specifically, the e-vaping device 10 may operate in variousoperating modes to save power. For example, the e-vaping device 10 mayoperate in an active mode, a middle mode and a hibernation mode.

The heater control circuit 515 and the microprocessor 502 cooperativelyoperate to determine whether the second section 100 is connected to thefirst section 50. When the microprocessor 502 determines that the secondsection 100 and the first section 50 are not connected or an adult vaperhas applied a positive pressure over a disabling threshold difference ofthe baseline for a threshold time, the microprocessor 502 may operatethe second section 100 in the hibernation mode. Therefore, themicroprocessor 502 may reduce the frequency of the read requests to alower frequency, for example, 10 Hz. In an example, the disablingpressure difference may be 225-300 Pa and the threshold time forapplying the positive pressure may be three seconds.

If the microprocessor 502 determines that an adult vaper has applied anegative pressure within a threshold period of time and the secondsection 100 and the first section 50 are connected, the microprocessor502 may operate the e-vaping device 10 in the active mode. In the activemode, the microprocessor 502 may control the frequency of the readrequests to be a higher frequency, for example, 100 Hz. Other triggersthe microprocessor 502 may use for placing the e-vaping device 10 in theactive mode include detecting a connection to the cartridge and removalof the e-vaping device 10 from an external charger.

If the microprocessor 502 determines that an adult vaper has not applieda negative pressure within a threshold period of time and the secondsection 100 and the first section 50 are connected, the microprocessor502 may operate the e-vaping device 10 in the middle mode. In the middlemode, the microprocessor 502 may control the frequency of the readrequests to be between the frequency associated with the active mode andthe frequency associated with the hibernation mode, for example, 50 Hz.

The possible operating modes and associated read request frequencies maybe stored as a table in the storage medium 505.

The microprocessor 502 may determine whether an adult vaper has applieda negative pressure on the e-vaping device 10 by comparing the pressuremeasured by the MEMS pressure sensor 525 (identified in the pressure andtemperature data PT_(DATA)) to a baseline pressure. If themicroprocessor 502 determines that the measured pressure differs fromthe baseline pressure by a initialization threshold difference, themicroprocessor 502 determines that an adult vaper has applied a negativepressure and the microprocessor 502 initializes the vaporizing process(i.e., controlling the heater to produce a vapor). In an exampleembodiment, the initialization threshold difference may be 150 Pa.

Moreover, after initializing the vaporizing process, the microprocessor502 continues to monitor the measured pressure from the MEMS pressuresensor 525. If the microprocessor 502 determines that the measuredpressure differs from the baseline pressure by an terminating thresholddifference, the microprocessor 502 ends the vaporizing process (i.e.,reduces the voltage to the heater so as to not produce a vapor such as0V). In an example embodiment, the terminating threshold difference maybe 75 Pa.

The baseline pressure is a rolling average and may be updatedperiodically by the microprocessor 502. For example, the microprocessor502 may calculate the baseline pressure every second based on thesamples that occurred after the previous calculation.

By using a baseline pressure, the microprocessor 502 avoids incorrectdeterminations. For example, the baseline pressure allows themicroprocessor 502 to compensate for changing barometric pressures suchas when the weather changes (e.g., a thunderstorm). Thus, themicroprocessor 502 does not inadvertently activate the heater then thebarometric pressure changes due to the weather and when moving frombetween indoor spaces having different pressures.

To avoid the negative pressure applied by the adult vaper affecting thebaseline pressure, the microprocessor 502 uses a guard band. Forexample, the microprocessor 502 may disregard pressure measurementswithin a threshold time of detecting the negative pressure from theadult vaper.

Moreover, the microprocessor 502 may use a pre-trigger threshold toprevent the baseline from being updated. More specifically, if themeasured pressure from the MEMS pressure sensor 525 is within thepre-trigger threshold difference of the baseline, the microprocessor 502may updated the baseline pressure. However, the measured pressure fromthe MEMS pressure sensor 525 is within the pre-trigger thresholddifference of the baseline, the microprocessor 502 does not update thebaseline pressure. For example, the pre-trigger threshold difference maybe 60 Pa.

In addition to activating the heater when the microprocessor 502 detectsa negative pressure from the adult vaper, the microprocessor 502 maylimit a maximum length of vapor drawn and limit a number of times ofvapor being drawn within a time limit (e.g., 10 seconds).

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of detecting a threshold pressure changewithin an e-vaping device according to an example embodiment. The methodof FIG. 6 may be performed by the microprocessor 502.

At S600, the microprocessor 502 determines a mode of operation. Forexample, the microprocessor 502 may operate in an active mode, a middlemode and a hibernation mode.

At S605, the microprocessor 502 determines a read request frequencyassociated with the operation mode. For example, the microprocessor 502may access a table to obtain the read request frequency associated withthe determined mode of operation.

At S610, the microprocessor monitors the pressure data, includingpressure measurements, from the MEMS pressure sensor 525 and comparesthe pressure measurements to the baseline pressure. If one of thepressure measurements differs from the baseline pressure by a thresholdamount, the microprocessor 502 initiates the vaporizing process.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustrating a coupling of the microprocessor 502,the heater control circuit 515 and the heating element 252. As shown inFIG. 7, the microprocessor 502 and the heater control circuit 515 may becoupled via interfaces 701 a, 701 b and 701 c. And the heating element252 and the heater control circuit 515 may be coupled via interfaces 702a, 702 b and 702 c. The interfaces 701 a, 701 b and 701 c may be one ormore pins. The interfaces 702 a, 702 b and 702 c may be the positivecontact 120 and the common contact 122, as described above withreference to FIG. 4.

The heater control circuit 515 includes a voltage monitoring circuit 705and a current monitoring circuit 7100. The heater control circuit 515also includes a pulse modulation circuit 715. It will be understood thatthe heater control circuit 515 may include other circuits as well, butthose other circuits have been omitted for the sake of brevity. Thevoltage monitoring circuit 705 may be a voltage detector. The currentmonitoring circuit 710 may be a current detector.

The voltage monitoring circuit 705 is coupled to the microprocessor 502via the interface 701 c and the voltage monitoring circuit 705 iscoupled to the heater 252 via the interface 702 a. The currentmonitoring circuit 710 is coupled to the microprocessor 502 via theinterface 701 b and the current monitoring circuit 710 is coupled to theheater 252 via the interface 702 b. The pulse modulation circuit 715 iscoupled to the microprocessor 502 via the interface 701 c and the pulsemodulation circuit 715 is coupled to the heater 252 via the interface702 c.

Operation of a heater control circuit according to an example embodimentwill now be described.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of controlling power delivery to a heatingelement or heater (e.g., the heating element 252). As shown in FIG. 8,at step S800, the controller 500 performs an initialization process,which is discussed in detail with respect to FIG. 9. At step 850, thecontroller 500 performs a closed loop power control process, which isdiscussed in detail with respect to FIG. 10.

FIG. 9 illustrates the initialization process of FIG. 8 according to anexample embodiment. As shown, the initialization process starts when thecontroller 500 detects a negative pressure (e.g., detects, using theMEMS pressure sensor 525, an adult vaper has applied a negative pressureon the e-vaping device 10). The controller 500 then measures the voltageof the power supply 110 in step S910. For example, the microprocessor502 receives a sample of the battery voltage from the battery monitoringunit 510.

At step S920, the controller 500 determines a duty ratio based on thebattery voltage. For example, the microprocessor 502 obtains a desiredpower from the storage medium 505. The desired power may be a designparameter, empirically determined, and pre-stored in the storage medium505 by a manufacturer. In one example embodiment, the desired power maybe 3.9 W. The microprocessor 502 also obtains a start resistanceR_(start) from the storage medium 505. The start resistance is anassumed resistance for the heater 252. The start resistance may be adesign parameter, empirically determined, and pre-stored in the storagemedium 505 by a manufacturer. The start resistance may be 3.5 Ohms. Themicroprocessor 502 uses the measured battery voltage, the desired powerand the start resistance to determine the duty ratio (DR) (or dutycycle) according to the following equation:

$\begin{matrix}{{DR}_{n - 1} = \frac{\left( {{Desired}\mspace{14mu}{Power}} \right)\left( R_{Start} \right)}{V_{{BAT}^{2}}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$where DR_(n-1) is the duty ratio determined using equation (1) andV_(BAT) is the measured battery voltage.

At step S930, the controller 500 applies power to the heater 252according to the determined duty ratio DR_(n-1). For example, themicroprocessor 502 controls the power modulation circuit 715 to providea pulse width modulated power signal to the heater 252 according to thedetermined duty ratio.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow chart of the closed loop power controlprocess in FIG. 8 according to an example embodiment. As shown, in stepS1010, the controller 500 measures voltage and current applied to theheating element 252. For example, the voltage monitoring circuit 705samples a filtered (e.g., average) voltage across the heater 252 and thecurrent monitoring circuit 710 samples a filtered (e.g., average)current through the heater 252. The microprocessor 502 receives thevoltage measurement from the voltage measuring circuit 705 and thecurrent measurement from the current measuring circuit 710. As will beappreciated, these and any other measurements received by themicroprocessor 502 undergo an analog-to-digital conversion. Themicroprocessor 502 may store the measured voltage and the measuredcurrent in the storage medium 505.

At step S1020, the controller 500 determines power applied to the heater252. For example, the microprocessor 502 calculates the applied power(Power_(Applied)) using the following equation:

$\begin{matrix}{{Power}_{Applied} = \frac{V_{Sample}*I_{Sample}}{{DR}_{n - 1}}} & (2)\end{matrix}$where V_(Sample) is the measured voltage from the voltage monitoringcircuit 705 and I_(Sample) is the measured current from the currentmeasuring circuit 710.

At step S1030, the controller 500 determines a new duty ratio DR_(n) foruse in applying power to the heater 252. For example, the microprocessor502 determines the new duty ratio according to the following equation:

$\begin{matrix}{{DR}_{n} = {\frac{\left( {{Desired}\mspace{14mu}{Power}} \right)*{DR}_{n - 1}}{{Power}_{Applied}}.}} & (3)\end{matrix}$

The microprocessor 502 stores the new duty ratio DR_(n) in the storagemedium 505.

In step S1040, the controller 500 continues the application of power tothe heater 252, but does so according to the new duty ratio DR_(n). Forexample, the microprocessor 502 controls the power modulation circuit715 to provide a pulse width modulated power signal to the heater 252according to the new duty ratio.

At step S1050, the controller 500 determines whether the negativepressure has ended. For example, the microprocessor 502 receivespressure information from the MEMS pressure sensor 525 and determineswhether the amount of negative pressure triggering negative pressuredetection falls below a threshold amount. If the microprocessor 502determines that the negative pressure has not ended, then processingreturns to step S1010. As will be appreciated, in this next iteration,the duty ratio DR_(n-1)=the new duty ratio DR_(n) from the previousiteration. However, if the negative pressure has ended, then the processends.

In one example embodiment, the cycle time for the initialization processand the cycle time for one iteration of the closed loop power controlprocess may be equal. However, example embodiments are not limited tothese processes having equal cycle times. In one example embodiment, thecycle time may be 60-80 ms. However, the example embodiments are notlimited to these values.

As will be appreciated, the method of FIGS. 8-10 is repeated for eachapplication of a negative pressure on the e-vaping device. In oneembodiment, after a first negative pressure, the start resistance may bedetermined as the last measured voltage across the heater 252 divided bythe last measured current applied to the heater 252.

In an alternative embodiment, the process of FIGS. 8-10 may be based ona desired voltage for application to the heater 252 instead of a desiredpower. The desired voltage may be a design parameter, empiricallydetermined, and pre-stored in the storage medium 505 by a manufacturer.For example, instead of determining the new duty ratio according toequation (3), the new duty ratio may be determined according to equation(4) below:

$\begin{matrix}{{DR}_{n} = {\frac{\left( {{Desired}\mspace{14mu}{Voltage}} \right)*{DR}_{n - 1}}{V_{sample}}.}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

In yet another alternative example embodiment, the process of FIGS. 8-10may be based on a desired current for application to the heater 252instead of a desired power. The desired current may be a designparameter, empirically determined, and pre-stored in the storage medium505 by a manufacturer. For example, instead of determining the new dutyratio according to equation (3), the new duty ratio may be determinedaccording to equation (5) below:

$\begin{matrix}{{DR}_{n} = {\frac{\left( {{Desired}\mspace{14mu}{Current}} \right)*{DR}_{n - 1}}{I_{sample}}.}} & (5)\end{matrix}$

In yet another example embodiment, the storage medium 505 may store adesired power profile. The desired power profile provides a desiredpower corresponding to each iteration of the closed loop power controlprocess. Accordingly, the desired power may be changed over the courseof the closed loop power control process. Also, the same desired powerprofile may be used for each application of a negative pressure, or eachapplication of a negative pressure may have a corresponding desiredpower profile stored in the storage medium 505.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart for mitigating against over-heating theheating element 252. During operation, the controller 500 accumulates anamount of time the heater 252 is supplied power over a moving window oftime. For example, the microprocessor 502 may include a timer formeasuring time, and, based on the power control described above withrespect to FIGS. 8-10, the microprocessor 502 knows the amount of timepower has been applied to the heater element 252 over the moving windowof time. The moving window of time may be a design parameter,empirically determined, and stored in the storage medium 505. In oneembodiment, the moving window of time is 7 seconds.

As shown in FIG. 11, at step S1119, the controller 500 (e.g., themicroprocessor 502) determines if the accumulated time exceeds a timethreshold. The time threshold may be a design parameter, empiricallydetermined, and stored in the storage medium 505. In one embodiment, thetime threshold is 5 seconds. If the controller 500 determines thethreshold has been exceeded, then the controller 500 ceases supplyingpower to the heater 252 for a desired period of time in step S1120. Thedesired period of time may be a design parameter, empiricallydetermined, and stored in the storage medium 505. In one embodiment, thedesired period of time equals the time threshold; however, exampleembodiments are not limited to this. If the accumulated time does notexceed the time threshold, processing repeatedly loops back to stepS1119.

In yet another embodiment, the controller 500 may apply a 100% dutyratio of power to the heater 252 for a short period of time (e.g., onlya few milliseconds). This may occur when the cartridge section 50 isattached, at a first application of negative pressure, etc. Thecontroller 500 measures the voltage and current across the heater 252,and determines the resistance of the heater 252. If the resistance isoutside a desired range, then the cartridge 50 is identified as invalid,and no further power will be supplied to the cartridge 50. The desiredmay be a design parameter, empirically determined, and stored in thestorage medium 505. For example, the desired range may be 2 to 5 Ohms.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of the heater control circuit andmicroprocessor shown in FIG. 5A. With reference to FIG. 12, themicroprocessor 502 may include terminals 1255 and 1260 while the heatercontrol circuit 515 includes terminals 1240, 1245, and 1250. Themicroprocessor 502 may output a control signal CON from terminal 1255 toterminal 1245. The heater control circuit 515 may include a cartridgedetector 1200. An input signal (or input voltage) Vin may be input intothe cartridge detector 1200 at terminal 1240 of the cartridge detector1200. The terminal 1240 may be electrically connected to the anode 102of the female connecting portion 106 through, for example, wire 128 (seeFIG. 3A) or other electrical connections on the circuit board 116.

The cartridge detector 1200 may generate a detection signal DET fordetecting attachment events. The attachment events indicate anattachment to (or electrical connection) or detachment from (orelectrical disconnection of) between the first section (or cartridgesection) 50 and the second section (or power supply section) 100. Inother words, the attachment events indicate an attachment state of thefirst section 50 and the second section 100. The cartridge detector 1200may output the detection signal DET at terminal 1250 to terminal 1260 ofthe microprocessor 502. The microprocessor 502 may detect attachmentsevents based on the detection signal DET in accordance with thedescription of FIG. 13 below.

With reference to FIG. 12, the cartridge detector 1200 may include avoltage divider 1205. The voltage divider 1205 may include a resistiveelement 1220 (or first resistive element), a resistive element 1225 (orsecond resistive element), and a switching element 1230 (or a firstswitching element). The cartridge detector 1200 may also include aswitching element 1235 (or second switching element). The switchingelement 1230 may be a transistor, for example, an enhancement moden-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). Agate terminal of the switching element 1230 may be connected to terminal1245. A source of the switching element 1230 may be connected to theresistive element 1220, and a drain of the switching element 1230 may beconnected to the resistive element 1225 at node A. That is, theresistive elements 1220 and 1225 and the switching element 1230 may beconnected in series. The resistive elements 1220 and 1225 may beresistors having desired resistance values. For example, the resistiveelements 1220 and 1225 may have a same resistance value (e.g., 1.0 kΩ).

The terminal 1245 may receive a control signal CON from themicroprocessor 502. The control signal CON may be a signal that switchesthe switching element 1230 on and off. Thus, the presence or absence ofthe output voltage of the voltage divider 1205 at node A is controlledby the control signal CON. The microprocessor 502 may generate thecontrol signal CON to have a desired frequency and amplitude. Thedesired frequency and amplitude may be defined by an adult vesper and/orbased on empirical evidence.

In view of the above, it may be said that the resistive elements 1220and 1225 and the switching element 1230 form a series voltage dividercircuit with a dual resistance, whose output signal (or output voltage)at node A is controlled by the control signal CON applied to switchingelement 1230.

The cartridge detector 1200 may include the switching element (or secondswitching element) 1235. The switching element 1235 may be a NPN bipolarjunction transistor (BJT). A base of the switching element 1235 may beconnected to node A. An emitter of the switching element 1235 may beconnected to a common voltage (e.g., a ground voltage). A collector ofthe switching element 1235 may be connected to the terminal 1250. Thecartridge detector 1200 may include a capacitive structure 1233 tofacilitate operation of the switching element 1235.

With reference to FIG. 12, the input signal Vin at terminal 1240 mayvary based on whether the first section 50 is attached to or detachedfrom the second section 100. For example, if the first section 50 isdetached from the second section 100, then the input signal Vin may havea low voltage level (or a first voltage level), for example, 0V. If thefirst section 50 is attached to the second section 100 (therebyelectrically connecting the female connecting portion 220 to cathodeportion 106 a and electrically connecting the male anode 208 and thefemale anode 102), the input signal Vin at terminal 1240 may have ahigher voltage level (or a second voltage level), due to the electricalconnection to the power supply 110 (described above with reference toFIGS. 3A-3D). For example, if the first section 50 and the secondsection 100 are attached, the input signal Vin at terminal 1240 may bethe voltage of the power supply 110.

From the circuit diagram in FIG. 12, it should be understood that theswitching element 1235 may switch on and off according to the outputvoltage of the voltage divider 1205 at node A. For example, if thevoltage at node A is above a threshold voltage of the switching element1235, the switching element 1235 turns on to connect terminal 1250 to acommon voltage (or ground voltage). Here, the detection signal DET ispulled into a low state in which the microprocessor 502 detects that thefirst section 50 is attached to the second section 100. If the voltageat node A is less than the threshold voltage, the switching element 1235turns off and the detection signal DET returns to a high state in whichthe microprocessor 502 detects that the first section 50 is detachedfrom the second section 100.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of operating themicroprocessor shown in FIGS. 5 and 12. FIG. 13 will be described withreference to FIGS. 1-5A and 12.

In operation S1300, the microprocessor 502 generates a control signalCON for controlling detection of whether a cartridge section 50 isconnected to a power supply section 100. The microprocessor 502 maygenerate the control signal CON based on input from the adult vaperand/or empirical evidence. For example, the microprocessor 502 maygenerate the control signal CON such that the switching element 1230sends an output voltage of the voltage divider 1205 to node A at adesired frequency. The desired frequency and amplitude of the controlsignal CON may be defined by the adult vaper and/or based on empiricalevidence.

In operation S1305, the microprocessor 502 receives a detection signalDET based on the control signal CON at terminal 1260. For example, themicroprocessor 502 receives the detection signal DET in accordance withan activation and deactivation of the switching element 1230, which iscontrolled by the control signal CON.

In operation S1310, the microprocessor 502 detects attachment eventsbased on the detection signal DET. The attachment events indicatewhether the cartridge section 50 is attached to or detached from thepower supply section 100. For example, if the output voltage of thevoltage divider 1205 at node A is above a threshold voltage of theswitching element 1235, the switching element 1235 turns on to connectterminal 1250 to a common voltage (or ground voltage). Here, thedetection signal DET is pulled into a low state in which themicroprocessor 502 detects that the first section 50 is attached to thesecond section 100. If the output voltage at node A is less than thethreshold voltage, the switching element 1235 turns off and thedetection signal DET returns to a high state in which the microprocessor502 detects that the first section 50 is detached from the secondsection 100. The microprocessor 502 may detect an attachment event bycomparing a previous attachment state of the first section 50 and thesecond section 100 to a current attachment state of the first section 50and the second section 100. For example, the microprocessor 502 maydetect an attachment event if the comparison indicates that anattachment state of the first section 50 and the second section 100 haschanged from attached to detached or vice versa.

If the microprocessor 502 does not detects an attachment event inoperation S1310, then the microprocessor 502 performs operation S1315and determines whether a first time period has elapsed since a mostrecently detected attachment event. The first time period may be definedby the adult vesper and/or based on empirical evidence. If the firsttime period has not elapsed, then the microprocessor 502 returns tooperation S1305. If the first time period has elapsed, then themicroprocessor 502 places the e-vaping device 10 into a sleep mode (orhibernate mode). The sleep mode may be a mode of the e-vaping device 10in which the microprocessor 502 disables a pressure sensor (e.g.,pressure sensor 525) of the e-vaping device 10 (e.g., the microprocessor502 may turn the pressure sensor off or terminate the sending of readrequests to the pressure sensor so that the sensed pressure is not sentto the microprocessor 502). Alternatively, in the sleep mode, themicroprocessor 502 may reduce a frequency of sending read requests tothe pressure sensor (compared to other modes of operation such as anactive mode and a standby mode). This may reduce (or alternatively,prevent) occurrences of accidental operation of the e-vaping device 10due to, for example, ambient pressure drops that would otherwiseactivate the pressure sensor. The microprocessor 502 may then return tooperation S1300 to generate the control signal CON. Thus, even in thesleep mode, the microprocessor 502 continues to check for attachmentevents of the first section 50 and the second section 100.

If, in operation S1310, the microprocessor 502 detects an attachmentevent, then the microprocessor 502 performs operation S1325 and storesthe detected attachment event in the storage medium 505. Themicroprocessor 502 may store detected attachment events in a table thatincludes an indication of whether a detected attachment event relates toan attachment or detachment of the first section 50 and the secondsection 100 and an associated time stamp. These stored attachment eventsmay be used for subsequent data collection. The attachment events mayalso trigger different modes of the microprocessor 502 (see discussionof operations S1325-S1350 below).

In operation S1330, the microprocessor 502 determines whether a secondtime period has elapsed since the most recent attachment event. If not,then the microprocessor 502 returns to operation S1305 to detectpossible additional attachment events within the second time period. Thesecond time period may be defined by the adult vaper and/or based onempirical evidence.

If the second time period has elapsed in operation S1330, then themicroprocessor 502 may count the number of attachment events during thesecond time period in operation S1335 (e.g., by accessing the storagemedium 505 with stored attachment events). In operation S1340, themicroprocessor 502 may select from among different modes of operationfor the e-vaping device based on the counted number of attachmentevents. The different modes of operation may include the sleep mode (orhibernate mode) and different modes based on profiles associated withdifferent operating preferences. The profiles may include informationused to operate the controller 500 according to operating preferences ofan adult vaper. For example, two attachment events within the secondtime period may cause the controller 500 to operate according to a firstprofile associated with a first set of operating preferences. Threeattachment events within the second time period may cause the controller500 to operate according to a second profile associated with a secondset of vaping preferences. The operating preferences may includeinformation used to adjust durations of the first and second timeperiods and/or other desired controllable parameters of the e-vapingdevice 10. The profiles may be defined by the adult vaper and/or basedon empirical evidence.

In operation S1350, the microprocessor 502 may operate according to theselected mode of operation.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of operating thecontroller shown in FIG. 5A. FIG. 14 is discussed below with referenceto FIGS. 1-5A and 12-13.

In operation S1400, the cartridge detector 1200 of the controller 500may receive an input voltage from an anode (e.g., female anode 102) of aconnecting portion (e.g., female connecting portion 106) of the powersupply section 100. The connecting portion detachably connects the powersupply section 100 to a cartridge section 200. The input voltage maycorrespond to Vin from FIG. 12.

In operation S1405, the cartridge detector 1200 may divide the inputvoltage to generate an output voltage. For example, the cartridgedetector 1200 may include a voltage divider 1205 to divide the inputvoltage Vin to generate an output voltage at node A.

In operation S1410, the cartridge detector may generate a detectionsignal (e.g., detection signal DET) based on the output voltage.

In operation S1415, the microprocessor 502 may detect attachments eventsbased on the detection signal, the attachment events indicating whetherthe cartridge section 50 is attached to or detached from the powersupply section 100. The microprocessor 502 may then operate inaccordance with operations S1315-S1350 shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustrating a coupling of the second section ofthe electronic vaping device shown in FIGS. 1-5A and a charger,according to one example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the secondsection 100 of the electronic vaping device 10 and a charger 6100 may becoupled via interfaces 6105 and 6110. The interface 6105 may be thepositive contact 120 and the common contact 122, as described above withreference to FIG. 4. The interface 6110 may be one or more pins.

The second section 100 may include one or more elements as describedabove with reference to FIGS. 2-4. However, for the sake of brevity, thecontroller 500, the microprocessor 502 and the charger control circuit520 are shown in the second section 100 in FIG. 6. The charger 6100 mayinclude, among other elements, a controller 6115, which will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18.

FIG. 16 illustrates a charge control circuit of FIG. 5A, according toone example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, the charge control circuit520 includes various electrical elements, which as will be discussed,enable power/electrical charge to be transferred from the charger 6100to the power supply 110, shown in FIG. 5A.

Upon detection of coupling of the second section 100 to the charger 6100by the charger 6100 (which will be described below), the charger 6100provides a first signal S_First to be received by the controller 500 ofthe second section 100. The first S_First signal is received at theterminal 7200 of the charge control circuit 520, via the microprocessor502 (upon being authenticated by the microprocessor 502). The firstsignal S_First will activate a switch 7205 after passing through theresistive element 7210. Although switch 7205 is shown to be a BipolarJunction Transistor (BJT), example embodiments are not limited theretoand the switch 7205 may be any type of known or to be developed switch.The resistive element 7210 may serve to limit the current supplied tothe base of the switch 7205. Once the switch 7205 is activated, thecurrent passing through the resistive element 7215 activates the switch7220. The resistive element 7215 may serve the same purpose as theresistive element 7210. The resistive element 7225 serves to prevent theelectric charge, to be received from the charger 6100 through the pin7230, to be supplied to the switch 7220.

The activation of the switch 7220 enables activation of the switch 7235through the supply of voltage to the base of the switch 7235 via avoltage divider formed of resistive elements 7240 and 7245. Theresistive element 7250 prevents the current at the collector terminal ofthe switch 7235 from flowing into the ground 7255.

The first signal S_First may be a series of voltage pulses switchingbetween a low value and a high value, following the path of the firstsignal from the terminal 7200 to the activation of the switch 7235.Accordingly, the first signal S_First results in a periodicactivation/deactivation of the switch 7235, thus generating a secondseries of pulses switching between a low value and a high value. Asecond signal S_Second, as will be described below, will then be sentback to the charger 6100, via the terminal 7257 for purposes ofauthenticating the second section 100 and the eventual charging of thepower supply 110 by the charger 6100.

The diodes 7260 and 7265 may serve as electrostatic discharge protectiveelements, as is known in the art.

Upon authentication of the second section 100 by the charger 6100, acharge-on signal nCHG ON may be supplied by the microprocessor 502 tothe charge control circuit 520 through the terminal 7270. The nCHG ONsignal may in turn activate the switch 7275. The resistive elements 7280and 7285 may serve as current limiting elements, as described above withrespect to the other resistive elements shown in FIG. 7. Once activated,the switch 7285 activates the circuit 7290. The circuit 7290 may in turnopen a path for the electric charge to be received from the charger 6100via the terminal 7230 for charging of the power supply 110.

In one example embodiment, the circuit 7295 may provide for monitoringthe charge being supplied by the charger 6100 by outputting signals CHGRTN and CHG IMON.

The switches 7205, 7220, 7235 and 7275 may be the same type of switch(e.g., a BJT transistor, a metal-oxide semiconductor field effecttransistor (MOSFET), etc.) or be any of different types of known or tobe developed switches.

FIG. 17 illustrates a block diagram of elements on the charger shown inFIG. 15, according to an example embodiment.

As shown, the charger 6100 may include the controller 6115 (as discussedabove with reference to FIG. 15) and an input/output interface 6110 forconnecting to external devices such as the electronic vaping device 10or the second section 100 of the electronic vaping device 10.

The controller 6115 may include a microprocessor 8310, a power controlcircuit 8315, a light emission diode (LED) control circuit 8320 and astorage medium 8325. The input/output interface 610 may include one ormore pins. The one or more pins may be mechanical pins verticallymovable upon placement of the external device to be charged, for examplethe second section 100, into the charger 6100. For example, the one ormore pins may be pressed inward upon placement of the external deviceinto the charger 6100 and make contact with a magnet of the secondsection 100 (the positive and common contacts 120 and 122) thus enablingthe charger 6100 to detect a coupling of the external device to thecharger 6100).

The controller 6115 may be hardware, firmware, hardware executingsoftware or any combination thereof. For example, the controller 6115may be one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), digital signalprocessors (DSPs), one or more circuits,application-specific-integrated-circuits (ASICs), field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), and/or computers or the like configured as specialpurpose machines to perform the functions of the controller 6115.

For instance, if the controller 6115 is a processor executing software,the controller 6115 executes instructions stored in the computerreadable storage medium 8325 to configure the processor as a specialpurpose machine

Furthermore, as shown in the example embodiment of FIG. 17, thecontroller 6115 may be a combination of hardware and a processorexecuting software. As shown, hardware elements may include the powercontrol circuit 8315, the LED control circuit 8320 and thecomputer-readable storage medium 8325. As shown, the microprocessor 8310is configured to control the operation of the hardware elementsdescribed above by executing software stored on the storage medium 8325.

FIG. 18 illustrates the power control circuit of FIG. 17, according toone example embodiment.

As shown, the power control circuit 8315 includes terminals 9400 and9404. The terminal 9400 (which may be referred to as the CHGP terminal9400) is connected to the one or more pins of the charger 6100. Themagnet of the second section 100 is in contact with the terminal 9404(which may be referred to as the CHGN terminal 9404) upon placement ofthe second section 100 into the charger 6100.

At the terminal 9408 (which may be referred to as the handshake terminal9408), a periodic handshake enable signal HS_EN is supplied to thecircuit 9412 of the power control circuit 8315 by the microprocessor8310. The periodic enable signal HS_EN is provided to check for couplingof the second section 100 to the charger 6100 (e.g., handshaking of thecharger 6100 and the second section 100). The handshake enable signalturns the switch 9416 on. The switch 9416 is shown as a MOSFETtransistor but example embodiments are not limited thereto and theswitch 9404 may be any other type of known or to be developed switch.The circuit 9412 may further include capacitive and resistive elements9416-1 to 9416-3 as shown in FIG. 18 for purposes of providing loadsand/or charge storage capacity at different terminals of the switch 9416in order for current to flow through one terminal of the switch 9416 andvoltage to be detected at another terminal of the switch 9416 when theswitch 9416 is turned on.

The circuit 9420 may include one or more resistive and capacitiveelements 9420-1 to 9420-3 as shown in FIG. 18 for purposes of providingloads and/or charge storage capacity in order to detect a voltage uponreceiving the one or more pins at the terminal 9400.

When (1) a load of the one or more pins is provided at the terminal9400, (2) the load of the magnet is provided at the terminal 9404, (3)the circuit 9412 detects the coupling of the charger 6100 and the secondsection 100, the power control circuit 8315 communicates the coupling tothe microprocessor 8310 via the terminal 9424 (which may also bereferred to as the CHGN voltage monitoring (CHGN VMON) terminal) and theterminal 9428 (which may also be referred to as the CHGP voltagemonitoring (CHGP VMON) terminal).

Upon receiving the voltage monitoring signals from the terminals 9424and 9428, the microprocessor 8310, through the terminal 9432, providesenable signal EN to the circuit 9436. The circuit 9436 includes abooster 9440, a switch 9444 and a plurality of resistive elements 9436-1to 9436-3 as shown in FIG. 18. The booster 9440 may serve to boost theenablement signal EN at the terminal 9430, prior to the enablementsignal turning on the switch 9444. The boosted enablement signal maythen be fed to the switch 9444 (e.g., to the gate of the switch 9444when the switch 9444 is a BJT transistor) in order to turn on the switch9444. Given that the boosted enablement signal at the terminal 9444 is aseries of pulses that switch between a low voltage value and a highvoltage value, the enablement signal EN periodically turns the switch9444 on and off, thus generating a series of output voltage pulses. Inone example embodiment, the generated series of output voltage pulses isthe first signal S_First discussed above, provided to the second sectionvia the terminal 9400.

As discussed above, the controller 500 of the second section 100, viathe charge control circuit 520, generates the second signal S_Second inresponse to first signal S_First. The second signal S-Second is thenprovided by the controller 500 to the controller 6115 of the charger6100. The second signal S_Second may then be received back at theterminal 9404 of the power control circuit 8315.

The received second signal may then be sent to the microprocessor 8310of the controller 6115 via the power control circuit 8315. In oneexample embodiment, the second signal may be sent to the microprocessor8310 via the terminal 9448 and the circuit 9452 of the power controlcircuit 8315.

The circuit 9452 may include, among other elements, resistive elements9452-1 to 9452-3. The resistive elements 9452-1 to 9452-3 may act ascurrent limiters and/or load in order for the second signal to cause theswitch 9456 of the circuit 9452 to be turned on. Given that the secondsignal is a series of pulses that switch between a low voltage value anda high voltage value, the second signal periodically turns the switch9456 on and off, thus generating a series of output voltage pulses atanother terminal of the switch 9456 (e.g., the collector of the switch9456 when the switch 9456 is a BJT transistor) that is representative ofthe second signal to be sent to the microprocessor 8310. As will bedescribed below, the controller 6115, through the microprocessor 8310authenticates the second section 100 prior to providing electric chargefor charging the power supply 110 of the second section 100.

Upon authenticating the second section 100, the microprocessor 8310provides a series of pulse width modulated (PWM) commands to theterminal 9460. The series of PWM commands are then provided to thecircuit 9464, which through the resistive, capacitive and switchingelements thereof, as shown in FIG. 18, regulate current for charging thepower supply 110 of the second section 100.

In one example embodiment, the controller 6115, through the circuit9468, may monitor the current supplied to the power supply 110 of thesecond section 100. In one example embodiment, the circuit 9468 mayinclude resistive, capacitive and switching elements as shown in FIG.18, for enabling the monitoring of the current provided to the powersupply 110 of the second section 100. The supplied current as monitoredthrough the circuit 9468 may then be sent to the microprocessor 8310 viathe terminals 9472 and 9476.

In one example embodiment, the power control circuit 8315 may include aterminal 9480. The terminal 9480 may provide a constant DC power (e.g.,5 volts) for operation of the power control circuit 8315 and themicroprocessor 8310. The constant DC power may be provided through a USBconnection of the charger 6100 to a power supply (e.g., a wall-installedpower outlet, a battery, a laptop, etc.). The DC power provided at theterminal 9480 may pass through the circuit 9484. The circuit 9484 mayinclude a capacitive element 9484-1 for charge storing purposes, a fuse9484-2 and a diode 9484-3. The fuse 9484-2 enables a supply of the DCpower to the power control circuit 8315 and the microprocessor 8310. Thediode 9484-3 may be an ESD regulator.

In one example embodiment, the DC power may be provided to themicroprocessor 8310 via a low-dropout (LDO) circuit 9488. In one exampleembodiment, the LDO circuit 9488 may include capacitive elements 9484-1and 9484-2 as well as the chip 9484-3, which operate as is known in theart. In one example embodiment, the LDO circuit 9422 may take as inputthe DC power at the terminal 9420 and provide a low output voltage forturning on the microprocessor 8310. For example the LDO circuit 9422 maytake a 5V power supply at the terminal 9420 and provide 2.5V at theoutput of the LDO circuit 9422 to be supplied to the microprocessor8310.

In the example embodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 16and 18, desired (or, alternatively predetermined) values may be assignedto the resistive, capacitive and switching elements shown in FIGS. 16and 18 and described above. Such values may be determined based onempirical studies.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart describing the process of authenticating thecharger and the electronic vaping device, according to one exampleembodiment. FIG. 19 will be described below with reference to elementsdescribed in FIGS. 5A and 15-18. Furthermore, FIG. 10 describes theprocess of authentication by the controller 500 of the second section100 of the electronic vaping device 10.

At S1900, the controller 500 receives the first signal from the charger6100. The charger 6100 may generate the first signal as discussed abovewith reference to FIGS. 16 and 18 upon detection of coupling of theelectronic vaping device 10 (or the second section 100 of the electronicvaping device 10) to the charger 6100. In one example embodiment, thefirst signal is a series of voltage pulses.

At S1910, the controller 500 performs the authentication of the charger6100 based on the first signal received from the charger 6100. Forexample, the controller 500 may compare one or more characteristics ofthe first signal with a set of reference/expected values stored in thestorage medium 505 of the controller 500. The one or morecharacteristics may include, but is not limited to, the frequency of thevoltage pulses, the level of each voltage pulse, an average level of thereceived voltage pulses, a width of each voltage pulse, an average widthof the voltage pulses, etc.

Accordingly, at S1910, the controller 500 compares the one or morecharacteristics of the first signal with a reference/expected frequencyof voltage pulses, a reference/expected level of each voltage pulse, areference/expected average frequency of voltage pulses, areference/expected width of each voltage pulse, a reference/expectedaverage width of the voltage pulses, etc.

At S1920, the controller 500 determines whether the first signal isauthentic. For example, if the comparison at S1910 indicates that atleast one of the one or more characteristics match the corresponding oneof the reference/expected values stored in the storage medium 505, thecontroller 500 determines that the first signal is authentic. In oneexample embodiment, the controller 500 may determine the first signal tobe authentic if all of the one or more characteristics of the firstsignal match their corresponding reference/expected values stored in thestorage medium 505. In one example embodiment, the controller 500 maydetermine the first signal to be authentic if a majority or a certainnumber of the one or more characteristics of the first signal matchtheir corresponding reference/expected values stored in the storagemedium 505.

If at S1920 the controller 500 determines that the first signal is notauthentic, then at S1930, the controller 500 may send a signal to thateffect to the charger 6100 informing the charger 6100 that the charger6100 is not authorized to charge the power supply 110 of the secondsection 100. Furthermore, at S1930, the controller 500 may also disablethe terminals of the power supply 110 and prevent the power supply 110from being charged by the charger 6100.

However, if at S1920 the controller 500 determines that the first signalis authentic, then at S1940 the controller 500 may transmit the secondsignal (as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 15-18) to the charger6100. In one example embodiment, the second signal may also be a seriesof voltage pulses similar to the first signal. The authentication of thesecond signal by the charger 6100 will be described below with referenceto FIG. 20.

Upon authentication of the first signal, the controller 500 applies avoltage received from the charger 6100 across terminals of the powersupply 110 such that the charger 6100 charges the power supply 110.

Upon initiation, during or after completion of the charging of the powersupply 10 by the charger 6100, the method described above with referenceto FIG. 19 may further include an optional step S1960. At S1960 thecontroller 100 may exchange information with the charger, through anexchange of series of voltage pulses in the same manner as the exchangeof first and second signals described above. For example, the controller500 may send information to the charger 6100, which may include, but isnot limited to, any one of a version of the power supply 110 and/or theelectronic vaping device 10, at least one error code detected by thepower supply 110, a current/present estimated power supply charge level,information associated with the power supply 110 indicating at least oneof maximum voltage level and desired charge rate of the power supply110.

At S1960, the controller 500 may also receive a plurality of informationfrom the charger 6100, which may include, but is not limited to, any oneof a version of the charger 6100, a plurality of sets points associatedwith the electronic vaping device 10 including heating voltage settings,light emitting diode settings and operational limits of the electronicvaping device 10, reset codes for resetting the electronic vaping device10 when the electronic vaping device 10 and the charger 6100 arecoupled, and updates associated with at least one software executed bythe controller 500 and/or the controller 6115 of the charger 6100.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart describing the process of authenticating thecharger and the electronic vaping device, according to one exampleembodiment. FIG. 20 will be described below with reference to elementsdescribed in FIGS. 5A and 15-18. Furthermore, FIG. 20 describes theprocess of authentication by the controller 6115 of the charger 6100.

At S2000, the controller 6115 detects the coupling of a device to thecharger 6100. The device may be an external device such as theelectronic vaping device 10 or the second section 100 of the electronicvaping device 10. The controller 6115 may detect the coupling of thedevice as described above with reference to FIGS. 17-18.

At S2010, the controller 6115 may generate and transmit the first signalto the device. The generation and transmission of the first signal maybe the same as described above with reference to FIGS. 17-18.

At S2020, the controller 6115 determines whether the second signal,which is a signal as described above, is received at the controller6115. The reception of the second signal and detection thereof may beperformed as described above with reference to FIGS. 17-18. In oneexample embodiment, the controller 6115 may set a time window (e.g.,from a few milliseconds to a few seconds) during which the controller6115 checks for reception of the second signal. The time window may beset based on empirical studies and may be re-configurable.

If at S2020, the controller 6115 determines that the second signal isnot received within the time window, the controller 6115 may terminatethe authentication process and/or the process of charging the powersupply 110 of the device at S2030.

However, if at S2020 the controller 6115 determines that the secondsignal is received from the device, then at S2040 the controller 6115authenticates the device. In one example embodiment, the controller 6115authenticates the device by comparing the first signal transmitted bythe controller 6115 to the device with the second signal received by thecontroller 6115 from the device. For example, the controller 6115 maycompare one or more characteristics of the first and second signal,where the one or more characteristics may be, but is not limited to, anyone of the frequencies of the voltage pulses of the first and secondsignals, the level of each voltage pulse of the first and secondsignals, an average level of the received voltage pulses of the firstand second signals, a width of each voltage pulse of the first andsecond signals, an average width of the voltage pulses of the first andsecond signals, etc.

At S2050, if the controller 6115 determines that the device is notauthenticated, the process proceeds to S2030, as described above.However, if at S2050 the controller 6115 determines that the device isauthenticated, then at S2060, the controller 6115 performs the chargingof the device (e.g., the charging of the power supply 110 of the deviceshown in FIG. 5A) by providing electric charge to the device.

Upon initiation, during or after completion of the charging of the powersupply 10 by the charger 6100, the method described above with referenceto FIG. 20 may further include an optional step S2070. At S2070 thecontroller 6115 may exchange information with the device the electronicvaping device 10 or the second section 100 thereof), through an exchangeof series of voltage pulses in the same manner as the exchange of firstand second signals described above.

For example, the controller 6115 may receive information from the device(e.g., the electronic vaping device 10 or the second section 100thereof) which may include, but is not limited to, any one of a versionof the power supply 110 and the electronic vaping device 10, at leastone error code detected by the power supply 110, a current/presentestimated power supply charge level, information associated with thepower supply 110 indicating at least one of maximum voltage level anddesired charge rate of the power supply 110.

At S2070, the controller 6115 may also transmit a plurality ofinformation to the device, which may include, but is not limited to, anyone of a version of the charger 6100, a plurality of sets pointsassociated with the electronic vaping device 10 including heatingvoltage settings, light emitting diode settings and operational limitsof the electronic vaping device 10, reset codes for resetting theelectronic vaping device 10 when the electronic vaping device 10 and thecharger 6100 are coupled, and updates associated with at least onesoftware executed by the controller 500 of the electronic vaping device10 and/or the controller 6115 of the charger 6100.

In one example embodiment, the authentication process performed by thecharger 6100 and the electronic vaping device 10 may be performedautomatically and without an intervention by the adult vaper of theelectronic vaping device (e.g., without an input being required from theadult vaper).

Example embodiments having thus been described, it will be obvious thatthe same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the intended spirit and scope of exampleembodiments, and all such modifications as would be obvious to oneskilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A controller of an electronic vaping (e-vaping)device, comprising: control circuitry configured to cause the e-vapingdevice to, generate a control signal for controlling detection ofwhether a cartridge section is connected to a power supply section,receive a detection signal based on the control signal, detectattachment events based on the detection signal, the attachment eventsindicating whether the cartridge section is attached to or detached fromthe power supply section, and enter a sleep mode if a first time periodelapses after one of the detected attachment events; and a cartridgedetector to cause the controller to, receive an input voltage from ananode of a connecting portion of the power supply section, theconnecting portion detachably connecting the power supply section to thecartridge section, divide the input voltage to generate an outputvoltage, and generate the detection signal based on the output voltage,the cartridge detector including, a first terminal configured to receivethe input voltage from the connecting portion of the power supplysection, a voltage divider configured to divide the input voltage togenerate the output voltage, and a second terminal configured to outputthe detection signal based on the output voltage, wherein the voltagedivider includes, a first resistive element connected to the firstterminal; a second resistive element connected to a common voltage; anda first switching element connected between the first resistive elementand the second resistive element, the first switching element beingconfigured to receive a control signal to control a frequency at whichthe voltage divider generates the detection signal.
 2. The controller ofclaim 1, wherein the cartridge detector further comprises: a secondswitching element configured to operate according to the output voltageto generate the detection signal.
 3. The controller of claim 2, whereinthe first switching element and the second switching element aretransistors, the control circuitry is configured to apply the controlsignal to a gate of the first switching element, and the voltage divideris configured to apply the output voltage to a gate of the secondswitching element.